When Boehner loses his cool

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) appeared on Fox News Radio this afternoon, and apparently had a little trouble keeping his composure.

The Republican leader was asked about President Obama’s recent comments that he believes in an economy the works “from the middle class out,” not “from the top down.” This apparently sent Boehner over the edge. [Update: here’s the audio clip, from our pal James Carter.]

“Sometimes I have to catch my breath and slow down because the rhetoric in this campaign is just so over the top. And that’s because the president’s policies have failed. Listen – 93% of Americans believe they’re a part of the middle class. That’s why you hear the president talk about the middle class every day, because he’s talking to 93% of the American people. But the president has never created a job. He’s never even had a real job for Christ’s sake.”

I can’t help but love the contrast between the first sentence in that paragraph and the last.

For the record, Obama has been an attorney, a community organizer working with churches in communities hit by factory closings, a law professor, a state lawmaker, a federal lawmaker, and the president of the United States during a time of multiple crises. I’m curious, which of these jobs does Boehner consider fake?

I’m also struck by the notion that Boehner thinks Obama is too focused on the middle class – a complaint Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) also levied last week. Since when did Republicans decide “talking about the middle class every day” is a bad thing?

Boehner really should catch his breath, slow down, and consider the fact that the rhetoric in this campaign is just so over the top. Then, once he’s regained his composure, he should also realize it’s unbecoming of a Speaker of the House to lose his cool and make attacks like “he’s never even had a real job for Christ’s sake.”

Clarification: Our friends at The Ed Show gave the audio a closer listen and have a more accurate transcription than ABC’s report.